Spray it with a few times carby cleaner and clean all the oil and stuff off the block, an air compressor helps as you can use a blower attachment to help clean it. Wire brush can help tooThen get some VHT Engine enamel and spray on around 3 coats, but leaving sufficient drying time.
If you really want, you can spray it with etch primer first, but the engine enamel on its own sticks well, as long as the surface is clean.

i recommend that you clean it down with petrol and use a toothbrush to srcub it with. When all the oil is off undercoat it (i would use a high build primer) then you can spray it with engine enamel, which narrows your choice down to shit all ugly colours or use acrylic. I know of people who have used acrylic paints for engines for show cars and no problems at all you just cant do your headers it burns off straight away. I personally have just done a project car a ..........hj 1 tonner wb caprice statesman front and interior with a 327 chev not the right site to say this though.sorry feelas. and it worked a treat.

I am degreasing it with "super truck wash" (free from work!) today, then will see if it needs petrol or carby cleaner. Would petrol leave a oily film? Thanks for the painting tips, I don't have a compressor or spray gun so VHT engine paint will be the go.

What about the engine number? Do you paint over it? Will it still be able to be read with 3 coats of paint over it?

"super truck wash" did most of the work, I read on the VHT can today that I should clean the engine down with a solvent before painting, so on Monday I will raid the shelves at work again. Then strip the motor of all un-nessacary bits during the week and hopefully paint it next weekend. That's if I don't have any oil leaks to fix first.

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